As a lifelong conservative and Tea Party member, it is obvious that anything we can do to lessen the price of energy is good for the economy. Solar has gone ballistic just this year alone, especially corporations and businesses installing solar panels on roofs to save on energy bills.

Wind power has some major problems. (I will ignore that man from my home state Massachusetts who opposed that wind farm south of Cape Cod because it “spoiled his view.”)

First is maintenance and storms: The blades are massive, and will a wind tower handle a major storm?

The second matter is bats. As a previous member of Bat Conservation International, the major problem is not collision of the mammal with the blades so much as rapid changes in air pressure, similar to scuba diving, for bats caught up in the turbulence.

I propose a simple solution: Find a sound that bats dislike, and for a few kilowatts, build a transmitter that will drive the mammals away. One kilowatt is probably enough to do the job. Run tests with various species and see how much sound is needed.

Anything we can do to cut down on using petroleum helps.

Daniel Barker
Lakeland, Fla.